Ex-Toronto Blue Jays pitcher knew his MLB career was done when team cut him this year

One former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher felt that his time in the big leagues had come to an end once the franchise cut ties with him earlier this year.

And after officially announcing his retirement earlier this month, ex-Toronto reliever Erik Swanson seems to be enjoying his family life at home.

In an interview with the 6ix Inning Stretch podcast hosted by Lindsay Dunn and former Jays player Whit Merrifield, Swanson spoke about being designated for assignment by Toronto in a move that effectively ended his time in the major leagues.

"It just kind of felt like I was ready to be at home, be a husband, be a father full- time," Swanson told the hosts. "Obviously, the day-to-day grind over 12 seasons in the minor leagues, in the big leagues, is a lot for a player to deal with. When you start mixing in a family, wife, kids, it's even more."

Swanson remained close with many players on the team, and was cheering them on throughout their run to the World Series.

Previously a member of the Seattle Mariners organization, Swanson was on a hunting trip in Montana when he first found out about the trade to Toronto back in 2022 in a high-profile deal centred around Teoscar Hernandez.

"I was out there with my in-laws, and I had no service at the time, and all I knew was I got traded, but I didn't know to where," he shared. "I finally drove, like, 20 miles to get reception, and I got told I was going to Toronto.. I was like, this is if I'm going to get traded somewhere, this is probably one of the best places I could get traded to, unbelievable atmosphere... So I was pretty excited right away."

Across three seasons with Toronto from 2023-2025, Swanson put up a 4.28 ERA in 120 appearances across 111.1 innings.